This invention relates generally to virtual terminal environment wherein a plurality of program applications can be run simultaneously, each of these applications having at least one virtual terminal associated therewith. Additionally, a plurality of hardware display devices are provided and at least one of the program application is capable of writing directly onto at least two of the hardware display devices.
Generally, in a virtual terminal environment, a user of a system is required to perform several "hot key" operations before shifting the user's focus, or subject from a first application to the next successive application. This inefficient multiple hot keying was due to the fact that a single hot key operation merely shifted the focus between virtual terminals, not applications. Since multiple virtual terminals may be associated with a single program application, it may take a user several hot key sequences before the focus is actually shifted to the next application. This excessive hot keying creates a great deal of inefficiency with regard to time and resources, as well as, the frustration encountered by the user of a prior art system of this type.